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In the United States, Tinder users under 30 will pay US$9.99 a month and older subscribers US$19.99.

Dating app Tinder offering paid service with fees based on age and location

Dating app's new Plus version charges users every month based on their age and location

AFP

Smartphone dating app Tinder has launched a premium paid subscription version, but drew criticism over a pricing system that charges older users more.

Tinder Plus, which has been tested since late last year, was unveiled on Monday with its subscription fees varying by a person's age and country.

In the United States, users under 30 will pay US$9.99 a month and older subscribers US$19.99, according to a spokeswoman. Prices will be as low as US$2.99 in emerging markets.

The new tiered plan raised some hackles, and the PhoneArena blog wrote that it "quite frustratingly… borders on age discrimination".

But a Tinder spokeswoman defended the move.

"We've priced Tinder Plus based on a combination of factors, including what we've learned through our testing, and we've found that these price points were adopted very well by certain age demographics," spokeswoman Rosette Pambakian said in a statement.

"Lots of products offer differentiated price tiers by age, like Spotify does for students, for example. Tinder is no different," she said.

"During our testing we've learned, not surprisingly, that younger users are just as excited about Tinder Plus, but are more budget constrained and need a lower price to pull the trigger."

The app has spread widely among smartphone users, getting particular attention at the Sochi Olympics when athletes bragged about "tindering" for fast hookups.

"With Tinder Plus we're giving our users access to their two most-requested features through Passport and Rewind, as well as unlimited liking capabilities."

The "rewind" feature allows users to "take back" a swipe, so if someone accidentally swipes left on a picture - rejecting a potential date - he or she can find that person again later. The "Passport" feature allows users to change their location to match with people around the world.

With apps such as Tinder, prospective daters can see pictures of people who are nearby. If they see someone they like, they can swipe right to indicate interest. People who both swipe right on each other's profiles can then contact each other.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Daters take a swipe at Tinder's new fees
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